Tissainayagam, Jaseeharan, Valarmathi not seeking interim relief from court

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2008, 12:32 GMT]
Counsels for the journalists J.S.Tissainayagam, S.Jaseeharan and V.Valarmathi who have been indicted by the Sri Lankan Attorney General under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER), informed the Sri Lankan Supreme Court Wednesday that they were not seeking any interim relief as their fundamental rights violation applications have been listed for hearing on September 10 and November 14, legal sources said.
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Vavuniyaa choked with abrupt GA nominations

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2008, 11:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Public Administration recently transferred the Government Agent of Vavuniyaa S. Shanmugam from his post despite there was only a couple of months till his retirement. Meanwhile, the GA of Mullaiththeevu, Imela Sukumar, was appointed for his post and she was also instructed to look after Mullaiththeevu district from Vavuniyaa. But, her appointment has now been canceled. In the Meantime, the GA of Maanaar A. Nicholas Pillai, has been transferred to Vavuniyaa. The shifting appointments have come due to pressure from two competing paramilitary leaders operating from Colombo with vested interest in the affairs of Vavuniyaa, according to informed sources.
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Jury discharged in Sivaram murder case, trial put off

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 August 2008, 14:19 GMT]
Colombo High Court Judge A.T.Ratnaike Wednesday discharged the Sinhalese speaking Jury in the murder case of popular military analyst and TamilNet editorial board member Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Taraki) following the submission by the prosecution that whereabouts of one of the key prosecution witnesses was not known, legal sources said.
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TID questioned Ganesan on his visits to Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 14:08 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) on Tuesday questioned Civil Monitoring Commission Convener and Western Peoples Front Leader Mano Ganesan for six hours from 11:00 a.m. The questions were based on his peace delegation visits to Ki'linochchi during the CFA period between 2002 and 2004. The TID wanted to know if he had developed any 'special relationship' with the LTTE during the these visits. Mano Ganesan has vehemently refused any 'special relationship' with LTTE and any link with any arrested 'terrorist suspects', according to a statement released Wednesday by his office in Colombo.
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Bail refused for journalist Tissainayagam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 10:53 GMT]
The Colombo High Court Monday refused bail for Sunday Times columnist J.S.Tissainayagam when he was produced in court for the first time after he had been indicted by the Attorney General on three counts under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER), for printing, publishing and distributing the magazine "North Eastern Monthly" during the period from June 1, 2006 to June 1, 2007 and for making payments or collecting funds from a non-governmental organization to run the said magazine, legal sources said.
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Sinhala students of EUSL to be admitted to southern universities

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 08:28 GMT]
Sri Lankan Minister of Higher Education Viswa Warnapala has taken steps to temporarily admit Sinhala students of Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) to Universities in South. Due to the tension prevailing in the EUSL in the aftermath of the killing of Sinhala student, the University Grant Commission (UGC) had consulted Bail Rajapaksa, the brother and advisor of Sri Lankan President and the officials of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence.
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TID interrogates Mano Ganesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 08:02 GMT]
The leader of the Western Province People's Front (WPPF) and a Member of Sri Lankan Parliament Mano Ganesan is being questioned by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) Tuesday morning, informed sources in Colombo told TamilNet.
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233 families allowed to resettle in no-man zone in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2008, 07:23 GMT]
The committee appointed by Colombo Supreme Court to explore into the possibility of resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in areas inside Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikaamam north met Saturday around 3:30 p.m in Palaali SLA Head Quarters and decided to allow resettlement in the first stage only in areas outside the HSZ within the 600 meter distance of no-man’s area, contrary to the hopes of the applicants for resettlement inside the HSZ, now occupied by the SLA.
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Imelda Sukumar appointed Vavuniyaa GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2008, 06:56 GMT]
Ms Imelda Sukumar has been appointed Government Agent of Vavuniyaa district with immediate effect. She has been instructed by the Sri Lanka's Ministry of Public Administration to cover the administrative district of Mullaiththeevu also. She had been earlier serving as the GA, Mullaiththeevu district till she sustained injuries in the artillery attack by the Sri Lanka Army on Mullaiththeevu district secretariat recently, media sources said.
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Ten thousand Tamil voters deprived from voting in Sabaragamuwa election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 21:26 GMT]
Nearly 10,000 Up-Country Tamils who are eligible to vote were deprived from voting on Saturday at Ratnapura and Kegalle districts in Sabaragamuwa provincial council elections as they did not have National Identity Cards (NIC), a senior Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) member told media in Colombo.
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JVP parliamentarian arrested, UNP provincial councilor remanded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 21:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police Saturday evening arrested Premasiri Manage, parliamentarian of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) at Rambukkana in the south with two others in connection with the assault on a government supporter on August 18. He and other two are being detained in the police station and being interrogated, police sources said.
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JVP parliamentarian arrested, UNP provincial councilor remanded

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 21:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police Saturday evening arrested Premasiri Manage, parliamentarian of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) at Rambukkana in the south with two others in connection with the assault on a government supporter on August 18. He and other two are being detained in the police station and being interrogated, police sources said adding that the suspects were traveling in a vehicle with arms.
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Peace group fears for the credibility of Provincial Council system

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 10:07 GMT]
The National Peace Council, a Colombo based peace group, on Friday said that the conduct of the Sri Lankan government with regard to the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provincial Councils indicated that the political agenda of the centre, and power politics, rather than the democratic requirements of the provinces that have been uppermost. Both the provinces are Sinhala dominated. Reminding that the Provincial Council system was established to provide the basis of a solution to the ethnic conflict based on the devolution of power, the NPC said that the SP and NCP Council elections have implications that go beyond 'ordinary politics and the contest for political dominance.'
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UPFA supporters obstruct voters from estate areas - CaFFE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 August 2008, 08:57 GMT]
Several Estate houses have been set on fire by UFPA supporters at Yatiyanthota Weoya and there is continuous obstruction of voters coming from estate areas into polling booths, according to a situation update by the Campaign for Free & Fair Elections (CaFFE), which has deployed more than 1200 monitors in both the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. However, voters have been participating enthusiastically in the elections since early morning, the CaFFE report further said.
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Court grants leave to FR petition by Jaseeharan, Valarmathi

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 August 2008, 20:49 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court granted leave to proceed with the Fundamental Rights violation petition filed by Mr. Jaseeharan and Ms Valarmathi, co-directors of the "Outreach" website, being held in remand since the arrest on March 6 this year along with Sunday Times columnist J.S.Tissanayagam, legal sources in Colombo said.
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45 disappear in Jaffna in 8 months

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 August 2008, 16:26 GMT]
Statistics gathered by Government and Non-government humanitarian organizations in Jaffna revealed that more than 45 persons, most of them less than 30-years old, had gone missing in the first eight months of 2008, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, during a meeting held Sunday with SLA Jaffna Commander in Kaangkeasanththu’rai, representatives of civil society organizations accused Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for the worsening human rights situation, for imposing undue restrictions on travel, interference in civil administration, and for placing harsh restrictions on fishing affecting livelihoods of many fishermen, attendees to the meeting said.
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Violence marks election campaign in North Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 August 2008, 16:13 GMT]
The election campaign in Sri Lanka's North Central and Sabaragamuwa provincial elections to be held on August 23 came to an end Wednesday midnight with scores of election related violence that topped up to 250 reported incidents from both provinces including a murder, arson, attempted murder and intimidations. Ten political parties and eight independent groups are contesting in Polonnaruwa while 11 parties and seven independent groups are contesting in Anuradhapura. More than 21,000 police are being deployed in the provinces as well as Sri Lanka Army soldiers.
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Journalist Tissanayagam further remanded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 August 2008, 16:56 GMT]
Sunday Times columnist J.S.Tissanayagam and two others were ordered further remand till September 9 Wednesday by the Colombo Chief Magistrate, Manjula Thilakaratne when they were produced in court. Mr.Jaseeharan and Ms Valarmathi who had been running the printing press, were the other two suspects, legal sources said.
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Tamil man abducted in Negombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 August 2008, 12:02 GMT]
A 31-year old Tamil civilian, R.F. Mariyakumar, was abducted Wednesday morning around 6:30 a.m. from his residence along Christ Mawatte in Marawila in Negombo police division by a group of unidentified armed men, according to a complaint lodged by the victim's with the Marawila Police, sources in Colombo said.
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Court orders forensic analysis on munitions allegedly found in HRC vehicle

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 August 2008, 03:03 GMT]
Mallaakam magistrate, Ms. Sarojini Ilankovan, directed Tuesday Maanippaay police to submit the munitions claimed to have been recovered from the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC) vehicle parked in a motor repair garage in Maanippaay in Valikaamam, for chemical analysis in Colombo, and submit the findings to the Court, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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